While I’m still posting about Tanzania and the quality time I spent at the orphanage in Dar Es Salaam with my friends from Saudi, the story is very different in real time.
I have reached Southern Africa where I’ve been diagnosed with malaria a few days after new year's eve. It took me a week to recover, even if feeling tired still. I just need some more patience and to keep boosting my immune system I guess.
In the meantime, I met again with my friends @we.are.adventure.riders and we've been traveling together since 2 weeks now.
But I would have never expected the following scenario in a country I’m currently (re)exploring…
Last Sunday, on the 15th of January, I left the camp one hour after my friends. I was driving on these very long straight (and so boring!) roads since 1 hour, when two vehicles overtook Rafiki. They were speeding while I was cruising at 80 km/h.
A policeman stopped them a few minutes later, and finally waved at me to park on the side on the road. I did. The policeman came to me straight away, staring at the cab, to finally ask: ‘Are you alone?’. My answer was: ‘Yes’. He thus run back to the two other vehicles and let them go… Strange.
He walked back to Rafiki and asked me to bring my papers and to get out of the car. (Sorry to say this, but I rarely stop the car with the police in Africa. I'll detail this matter one day.)
But that day, in this particular country, I did. I got out of the car, with all my documents (almost) and my phone. I walked to the police car parked next to the bush, 15 meters from the road. An older policeman came out of the car and asked for my driving license. While I was opening my wallet, he grabbed my phone. I tried to get it back but he kept moving his arm, laughing at me. At that moment, the other policeman started to take a video of me. I tried my best to hide my face with my driving license and to get my phone back once again.
The older one violently hit me in the chest with his elbow, twice. Then, he tried to slap me (and finally reached my neck) and did a move where I could grab my phone back.
A big rage invaded my whole body, I was ready to fight back even with that guns staring at me. A white Hilux passed by very slowly and the two men moved away from me. I couldn’t run, I felt paralysed, but I could walk back to Rafiki, at least. I was shaking, trying to press that key to open the car. And this time, massive tears invaded my eyes.
Long story short, I spent 4 hours at the nearest police station and the chief officer took my case very seriously and told me that it could have ended very, very badly…
They didn’t want money from me, but something else… They apparently picked the wrong woman.
This assault definitely gave me more strength and motivation to keep doing what I’m doing. Yes, I'll keep overlanding in 2023.
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